Silicone is a disaster. It's not reusable or easily removed. Once you break the original silicone seal (which will require a razor blade) it needs to be completely removed, cleaned and reapplied. Removing cured silicone is not fun - try it...
Window glazing works well in that it's easily removed and reapplied - it's basically flat 3M strip calk. A little persistent pressure breaks the seal. Cleanup/removal is simple - no tools, scraping or razor blades. It sticks to itself better than the surface it is applied to. Use a ball of window glazing to dab/remove it. It's already flat and flattens pretty evenly with tighteninging/compressing but doesn't ooze, drip or run like silicone but it's just as weather tight.
The gray rope stuff oxidizes, degrades and turns into a gum-like substance over time that is also a disaster to remove. If you're going to seal it once and never ever open it again. I still wouldn't recomend silicone. To boot, and this is important, many types of silicones attack aluminum (acetic acid) and trap moisture against aluminum. Do yourself a favor. Don't ever apply silicone to your rover.
Yep, I hate silicone.
Last edited by lumpydog; 12-11-2014 at 03:15 PM.
1968 Series IIa
1997 Defender SW (Original Owner - Sold)